1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a system for collaboration between widely distributed users and, more particularly, for the users to submit and receive data stored in a collection of independent databases of an enterprise using enterprise-standard forms and reports from user-selected data sources.
2. Description of the Related Art
Regardless of the type of work a worker wants to accomplish, obtaining access to data is often a critical task. At this point in time, there is much data available in computer-readable formats. However, typically computer system design has involved relatively small-scale projects designed to meet a specific need or two. In large organizations, even when the software is standardized, often the databases are local, for both communication efficiency and to reflect differences in local conditions.
One reason why variations exist in local databases can be explained with reference to procurement systems. Some products and services required by an organization are best obtained from nearby companies. Therefore, when an organization has personnel based hundreds or thousands of miles apart, it is beneficial for the procurement systems used in different localities to have only the data needed at that locality. For example, there is no need for a purchasing agent to have access to a list of all the coffee services used by a multinational corporation. There are also often differences in the functions performed at different locations and it is usually more efficient to limit data availability to what a user is expected to need.
There are many types of organizations which experience such problems. Any organization with personnel in locations separated by hundreds or thousands of kilometers might experience such situations, including businesses, governments and non-governmental organizations. Different terminology is used to describe the divisions and subdivisions of such organizations. In the description below, the term "enterprise" will be used to refer to the largest organizational level and the term "agency" will be used to refer to a smaller group within the enterprise. However, the problems and concepts are not limited to business enterprises or government agencies, but include any large organization, whether divided into subsidiaries, divisions, departments, or any other term describing an organizational sub-entity.
There are many occasions when changing circumstances require access to more information than what is stored locally. When the required information is available elsewhere in database(s) of an organization, it is desirable for workers to have an easy way to directly access the data via the same computer used to access data stored locally. However, using conventional technology, a large amount of work is required to-design the communication and interface software. Even when the data is stored in compatible formats in two different locations, if the systems used to access the data were not designed to permit remote access, the user at one location will have difficulty accessing the data at another location. In typical multi-agency enterprises, users are limited to a single agency's database or are required to perform complex configuration tasks to connect to other agency databases. Previously, users would fill out enterprise standard forms in applications that were limited to a single agency's reference data. A manual change to application configuration files was required to utilize a separate agency's database.
This problem is exacerbated when more than mere data access is provided by the computer system. Existing systems require users to be connected to the same agency database to route a standard form to other users for collaboration. To receive information in report form from multiple agency sources also requires manual application configuration changes or a paper-based process.